Push-button switch.



PATENTED PEB. l1, 1908.

' Fig. 1.

To all whom it may concern:

may ina-ke and use the same.

'more particularly to a quick brake switch of 'shifted iioin one limit of lits throw to the lied. to form the proper inclosure for switch UNITED SILYFES lllllllllt'l lVllilIlAUSON, Ol NEW YORK, N. Y

PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 17.1906 Serial No. 317.376.

Patented Feb. 11, 1 908.

'Be it known that I, I-lnnisnnr C. lfVi'tLiiii- SON, a citizen. of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in thc county of New York and State of New York, (whose post-office address is 2113 Nest Fifty-second street, New York city, N ew York.) have invented certain -new and useful' Improvements in Pusheutton Switches, of which the following is a full,` clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled in the art The invention relates to' switches and the type commonly known as\t.wo button switches.

The object of the invention is to provide an extremely strong, compact device which will operate with. pri-icision and may he manufactured at a coniparatii'ely cheap cost.

A 4further object is"to secure a device in l which the switch-bar and various parts will he positively locked at each limit ol the throw of the switch. f

A still further object is to secure a c uick. iiiako and break switch of the type delined in which. there will be no liability oi sticking or arcin' ofthe parts as the switch-blade is other limit of its throw to-sccure the close and open circuit relation ot the arts.

Referring to the.drawingsz-igure 1 is a plan View. of the switch and receptaelo wit li the face-plate removed. Fig. 2 isa crosssectional view through the parts shown in Fig. 3 .is a detailed View of the various mechanical parts of' the switch'meehanism, separated and shown inperspective to better illustrate the construction. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the pawl plate and spring pawl.

In the accompanying drawing the numeral 1 denotes'the receptacle which is ordinarily made of insulating material and is adapted to contain the `various parts of the switch mechanism, supporting the contacts and providingample means for the attachment of the circuit or line wires to said. contacts. This receptacle may be made in various forms to suit the exigencies tif-any1 particular cate, and, of course, may be modi 'parts of various designs. It vis provided n ith an ordinary form of face-plate 2 through which the push buttons 3-4 project, whereby the operator may depress either of said' buttons to actuate the switch mechanism. Suitahly mounted within the receptacle 1 is a main frame or supporting plate 5, preferably formed with a base 6 by which it may be secured within the receptacle. This base piece is provided with a supporting stud or bearing 7 upon which the oscillatory parts of the mechanism are mounted and has 'formed upon it a ratchet or locking lug for the purposes hereinafter described.

As shown herein, a convenient form of locking lug` or ratchet S is provided by cutting away a portion of the plate 5 as indicated at 9, leaving `the priijection or ratchet adjacent to the pivot support 7 lug? vvivotallysupported with reference to the plate .f3 is a Contact bar 1() which provides tho y movable Contact. of the switch mechanism and, as shown herein, is secured toa pawl plate 11, through. the medium of a clamp bolt 11*I and insulating washers or bushings 11". 'lhis` pawl plate il is pivoted to thi` supporting frame 5 andv has at or near its lower end a'pawl oi' spring deteut 12 which passes through the ol'iening 9 and normally engages on'.A or the other oi' the sides of the ratchet. lug or ,stop S. lhe pawl plate 11 is of peculiar construction and is preferably formed oi" Vsheet metal stamped to forni, to provide at its lower end a box-like structure within which the pivotod pawl 12,is pivoted as at 12". ln practice it is formed by pressing up the metal with a bottom 13and side members 14- 15. Between the side meni hers the ps1-.l 12 is pivoted and a spring 12" shown in Fig. 4, normally holds the inner end 12a oi' the pawl in position to engage either of the sides Sia or 8') of the ratchet. stop 8.

Pivotally arranged upon the plato 5 is a releasing platepl. This plate at opposite ends is pivotally connected throuY links 17 .18 with the push buttons 3-4 t at project through the face plate 2. An oscillatory movement of the releasing plate 16 is secured by depressing one or the other of said push buttons toward the face of the plate. The oscillatory plate 16 is provided with a spring lug 19, at oil near its center and upon either side of this spring lug is a cani surface 20F21 p t e spring lug 19 and the sides 14-15 of the pawl box Which bears the pawl 12.' Itwvill thus be seen that the pawl plate is of the simplest construction, and notonly bears the spring pawl 12 but through its box-like arrangement o1 arts, provides a suitable lug .to coperate W1th the lug 19 of the actuating plate.. It really performs a double function, and all of the parts may be pressed up from sheet metal. l The operation of the device is ap arent. Asthe push button which'projects t rough the plate is depressed, the plate 16 is oscillated and separates the endsof the sprin coiled about the pivotal support 7 th lu 1 V bearing against one end of the spring'w ile the other 1s held against the side of the pawl box, Thus the spring lis tensioned and a considerable pressure is exerted upon the vpawl plate 11 tendin to oscillate it with the contact plate 10, t is, of course, held against movement through the engagement the pawl 12 and ratchet stud 8 until the actuating plate 16 has been depressed suficiently to bring one of its cam surfaces into contact with the spring 12 to a sulicient degree to depress said pawl and release the pawl plate 11 from the ratchet stud 8.' hereupon, the pawl plate 11' is rapidly l rotated by its spring and the contact plate 10 is shifted either into or out of contact position .with reference to the stationary contacts 20`-21. y

Obviously, various forms of contact bars might he used and the device might be adapted as a doublepole orI single pole switch. In fact the various details of the device might be modified to a considerable eX` tent Without departing from the spirit or intent ofthe invention, and the several oscillated parts may or may not be mounted upon the same pivot so long as the general function and 'operation of the various elements is present in the device.

What I claim as my invention' and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In acombinationin a push button switch, a receptacle, a supporting plate mounted therein and provided with a ratchet, an oscillatory pawl plate pivotallyv mounted with reference thereto, a pawl borne in saidplate' and arranged' to engage its ratchet, a contact bar Inovablevvith said ratchet plate, co?

plate.

operatingcontacts in the recptacle and an` erases oscillatory releasing plate arranged to release the p awl plate.

2. In combination in a push button switch,

a receptacle, contacts mounted therein, a frame or support provided with a ratchet .vided with a spring pawl arranged. to engage the ratchet lug on opposite sides', an oscillatory actuating plate pivoted'and having a `free movement with reference to the pawl plate, a coiled spring having one end in en-A gagement with the actuating plate', a contact bar carried with the pawl plate and push buttons for' moving the actuating late.

3. In combination in a push utton switch, a receptacle, a sheet metal frame secured therein and provided with a supporting pivot, a ratchet lug formed in the plane of the center of the plate, anoscillatory pawl plate mounted to swing upon the supporting pivot and provided with' as ring pawl arranged to engage the ratchet ug upon opposite sides, 'an actuating plate provided With cams'for depressing said pawl upon predetermined rotation of the plate and a spring intermediate the pawl plate and actuating 4. In combination in a push button switch, a receptacle, a supporting plate mounted therein and having an opening therethrough, a ratchet lug projecting into the opening, a pawl plate pivoted to the supporting plate and having a spring pawl projecting through the plate to engage the ratchet lug on either side thereof, a spring having one end in engagement with the -pawl plate and the opposlte end in engagement With an actuating plate' and an actuating plate pivoted with reference tothe support and provided with cams for releasing the-pawl from the ratchet upon predeterminedy movement of the parts.

5. In combination in a push button switch, a receptacle, a supporting plate mounted thereinl and provided with aratchet, an oscillatory pawl -plate' pivotally mounted with reference thereto, a pawl appurtena'nt to said,

plate and arranged to engage the ratchet, a contact'barmovable with said ratchet plate, cooperating contacts in the4 receptacle'and neans for releasing and moving the 'pawl p ate.

HERBERT C. WILLIAMSON. Witnesses: j EDWIN S. MERRILL,

A. 1M. STAPLETON. 

